Fever
by Squirrelette
Summary: Marinette can't help but worry when Adrien doesn't show up for school, and things just get worse when she finds out hes sick and gets voted to bring him his homework. All goes as planned until he collapses and Marinette being Marinette can't just leave him. warnings: fluff and smut
1. Girl its just homework

The excessive beeping was getting increasingly louder minute by minute.

"Are you ever going to turn your alarm off? Aren't you late for school by now?" Plagg questioned, floating over to his chosen, a half eaten piece of Camembert in his tiny paw.

With a groggy groan Adrien flipped over on the bed to face his tiny companion, his face felt like it was ablaze and his whole body dully ached. "What?' he asked cracking open his eyes just enough to see the exasperated look on the Kwami's face.

Plagg rolled his eyes, tossed the piece of cheese in his mouth and carried the beeping phone over to the boy, "This, you stupid alarm is giving me a headache."

Adrien sat up a little his face contorting in pain, he grabbed the phone, turned the alarm off and tossed it across the room as a wave of nausea washed over him. He scrambled out of bed, almost sprinting to the bathroom. Plagg sighed and followed after him, finding Adrien with his face in the toilet bowl and a foul smell filling the room.

"Yuck, what is that awful smell? Are you sick or something?"

Adrien sat back, drenched in sweat he felt as though he was going to pass out, wiping his mouth he turned to Plagg, "Plagg, can you please bring me my phone, I need to call the school."

He felt like he was dying or at least something close to it. He had to use all of his strength to stand, flush the toilet and plop back down on the seat, mentally thanking everything there was to thank that his father and Nathalie were out of town for the next week, the last thing he needed was to be sick with his father around.

* * *

Marinette couldn't help but worry when the seat in from of her was empty for the past two classes, it wasn't often Adrien was absent from school. She was concerned, she knew he didn't have a photo-shoot today, as he proudly proclaimed last week that his father was going away for the next week and all his activities were canceled.

Pouting she leaned over toward her best friend, "Hey Alya, any idea why Adrien isn't here today? Did Nino say anything?"

"Naw girl I haven't heard anything, maybe he overslept or something. I wouldn't worry, this is Adrien we are talking about." She winked at Marinette and went back to taking notes.

"Yeah I guess so..." Her voice trailed off as the bell rang, signaling the end of the first half of the day and the beginning of lunch. She gathered up her belongings, shoving them into her backpack and waited for Alya by the door.

"So you wanna get some pizza today? I'm craving that stuff hardcore!" She laughed and nudged Marinette in the side with her elbow.

"Sure sounds like a plan, I'll text my mom and let her know we won't be over today."

Just as they were about to leave the school, a out of breath Nino plowed right into Alya.

"Hey! What is your problem Nino?" She squawked as she snatched her bag up off the ground.

Nino stood up and took a deep breath, "I was looking for you two, I just got a text from Adrien. He's home sick and wanted to know if one of us could stop by and drop off his homework. I can't, I have stuff planned after school today, can one of you do it?"

Alya shook her head and frowned, "Sorry dude I have obligations too, need to watch my sisters tonight."

They both turned to Marinette, she flushed bright red, "Y-you want me to t-take something to Adrien's h-house? Adrien's house?!" She felt her heartbeat in her ears at just the thought.

Alya laughed at her best friend, "It's just homework, it's not like you have to stay or anything, just drop it off and go. I'm pretty sure even you can do that without blubbering to much," She put her hand on Marinette's shoulder and grinned, "Oh wait this is you we are talking about, I can just see it now 'H-hey A-A-Adrien bleh blag blah...homework!' and then you run away red-faced."

Marinette poked Alya in the chest, "Hey now! I can do this, it's not that big of a deal. Maybe he did ended up staying and I can just drop it off with his assistant."

"Either way I know you, you will figure it out. Now let's go get that pizza!"

"Pizza? Did I hear pizza?" Nino shouted from behind them, "Wait for me!"

* * *

"Adriennnnnnnnnnnn... I'm hungry!" whined Plagg as he floated to the mass of blankets and comforters which housed his chosen. He heard rustling of fabric and grinned when Adrien's flushed face emerged from beneath a thick, heavy comforter.

"Plagg, there is cheese in the mini-fridge, I told you that," his voice was strained and weak.

Plagg pouted, and floated over until he was right in Adrien's face, "But my tiny paws are to weak to open that big heavy door, puh-leaseeeeeeeeee Adrien. I'm going to die of starvation."

Groaning, Adrien kicked the blankets onto the floor. Willing himself, he stood on shaky legs and stumbled toward the mini-fridge. Every muscle in his body ached as if he had just pulled a semi-truck across the whole of Paris. He opened the fridge door for his Kwami, staggered back to the bed and flopped down face first.

"Oh and you grot a twext."

Adrien rolled his eyes, Plagg was such a pig he couldn't even wait till he was done chewing to speak. Flipping onto his back he prayed to the heavens the Ibuprofen he took earlier would kick in soon and kick out whatever funk he had. He grabbed his phone, unlocked it and opened the text, 'Oh Nino got back to me.'

Nino: sry bro I can't do it & neither could Alya, but Marinette wl b ova after school with ur h/w. Feel btr dude.

He let out a revealed sigh and promptly texted Nino back.

Adrien: Thanks a ton Nino, I really appreciate the help. I'll try.

* * *

The bell rang and as the students flooded out of the classroom, Marinette held back. Grabbing a empty folder out of her binder she slid all of Adrien's homework inside, along with a handwritten copy of all her notes from today for him. It didn't take long for the classroom to empty and to leave her standing with the folder clutched against her chest as she slowly began to turn red. 'Marinette you can do this! It's just homework, not a big deal right? Ah! What if I trip and fall walking up his driveway and drop the folder, then all this homework blows away and all because of me he fails the next test. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing I'm the reason Adrien failed something.'

"Marinette?" The small, high-pitched voice snapped her back into reality, "Adrien is waiting for you."

She sighed and patted her Kwami on the head, "You're right Tikki, his homework won't walk itself there, let's go!"

The walk to the Agreste mansion was a nerve-wracking one, every step she got closer more and more negative scenarios filled her head. She stopped on the corner, the mansion in clear view now, "I can't do this Tikki."

"Marinette you can do this, Adrien needs your help, don't let him down," the small Kwamis voice was filled with encouragement.

"You're right Tikki, he needs my help. I'm going to prove Alya wrong, I'm not going to make a fool of myself this time." Quickly she closed the gap between where she stood and the mansions gate. Taking a deep breath she pressed the button on the intercom system, "Um... I-it's umm... me Marinette, I've brought over A-Adrien's homework."

Without skipping a beat the gate opened, looking around she started up the driveway. She could see the front door was already open and standing inside was Adrien wrapped in a blanket, cheeks bright red.

"Marinette," his voice was hoarse and weak, "thank you for coming over, please come in." He moved out of the way and gestured for her to step inside.

She nodded and moved to stand inside, he shut the door and engaged the security lock then turned to face her. She swallowed hard, "I didn't expect t-to see you, I was j-just going to drop it off with your assistant."

He let out a weak chuckle and smiled faintly at her, "Oh, I had to come down. My father still went on his business trip and Nathalie went with him, so I'm here alone."

"Alone?!" She choked out then quickly continued, "Ohh okay, well I really should let you get back to resti-" she stopped mid sentence as he swayed in front of her before stumbling forward right into her chest. "Adrien! are you ok?" She slipped one arm around her waist and brought her other hand up to feel his forehead. He had a fever, and a high one at that. "Adrien can you hear me?"

He moaned, his eye fluttering open trying to focus on her, "Mari-"

"Hold on Adrien lets get you back upstairs," she shifted him so that his arm was around her shoulder and did her best to get him up the stairs without causing him anymore discomfort. Making their way into the room she internally gasped at the sheer size, only being snapped out of her awe by another groan from Adrien.

Gently she sat him on the bed and laid him back, lifting his legs onto and throwing a lightweight blanket over him. His head lolled to the side and sweat beaded on his forehead, "S-so cold," he mumbled.

"Oh Adrien I know, but it's not good to cover with a heavy blanket when you have a fever, it just makes it worse. Stay here, I'll go and get a cold compress," She ran into his bathroom, scanning the room for a cloth, finally her eyes landed on a washcloth hanging from a hook on the wall, an elaborate 'A' embroidered on it. 'Perfect,' She thought as she ran it under ice cold water and wrung it out. She made her way back into his room and gently pressed the cloth to his forehead. He winced at the touch, but then his face smoothed out revealing an almost childlike expression.

Pulling a chair up beside the bed she plopped down and stared at the sleeping boy, her chin in her hand. That's when the realization of the situation came crashing down on her. Panic spread over her like a dark cloud, she felt her breath hitch in her throat. 'I'm sitting here, in Adrien Agreste's bedroom, next to his bed... with him in it! What am I going to do? What can I do? What did I get myself into?'


	2. Mama you want me to do WHAT!

The ticking of the clock was driving Marienette insane. She was still filled with uneasy panic after realizing the situation she was in right now. She had changed Adrien's compress three times already and his fever still hadn't broken, and at this point she wasn't sure if he was sleeping or actually just unconscious, wait was there a difference? Either way she was thankful he wasn't awake to see her right now.

She literally fell off the chair when he groaned, his face contorting and his hand subconsciously moving to clutch his abdomen. She stared at him wide-eye, and then it hit her, she fled to the bathroom coming back with the small trash can and set it down beside his bed. 'He must have the flu,'she thought.

Suddenly he shot up, his hand tightly clutched over his mouth, in a flash she handed him the trash can. Her hearth wrenched as she watched his shoulders heaving, head shoved in the trash can. She couldn't help but hold her breath, as she herself was not the best around vomit. When he finished, she quietly got up and opened the window to get some fresh air into the room, that's when she noticed it was starting to get dark. She would have to call her Mom soon and let her know where she was, she didn't want to worry her.

Adrien was on his side, breathing heavily through his nose, "M-Marientte? You're still here?" His vision was blurry but he could still make out those two cute black pigtails.

She sat back down and nodded, hesitantly brushing a few stray hairs off his forehead, "Yeah... I couldn't just leave you in the condition you were in. Are you feeling any better?"

"No. Not really. If anything worse, my stomach is killing me," He grimaced and swallowed back the burning liquid that threatened to leave his body.

Moving off the chair she sat next to him on the bed, gently stroking his cheek with her thumb, "I'll stay as long as you need me to Adrien, I wouldn't feel right leaving you here like this. Especially with your father out of town."

He nodded and gingerly leaned into her caress, "Thank you Mari."

"Of course Adrien," she smiled, continuing to caress his cheek in small circles. Suddenly a small noise filled her ears and she squinted down at him,'was he purring? no way it's probably just the fever, he's delirious.'

* * *

The ringing of her phone practically made Marinette fall off the bed. Trying not to disturb Adrien, she got up grabbed her phone and snuck into the backroom. 'Mama, oh no what time is it?'

9:15 p.m.

Her mother was going to kill her. Quickly she answered, "Mama, I am so sorry!"

"Marinette where are you? Is everything OK? I was so worried!" her mother sounded frantic on the other end, guilt was quickly building inside Marinette's chest.

Could she really tell her mother the truth? No she had to, "Ah... Well... Adrien got sick, so he texted Nino to ask him if he could bring his homework to him, and Nino couldn't do it so he asked Alya and neither could she. So I got nominated and when I got here he was sick, like really sick, so much he actually passed out and I've been taking care of him all night. I'm so sorry I worried you, Mama, I just couldn't leave him alone here, especially with his dad and assistant out of town, he's really sick," she stopped realizing she was blabbering on and on.

She heard a sigh on the other end, "Oh Marinette, your kind heart is going to be the death of me. Do you think you will be home tonight?"

Her mother's reply surprised her, in all honestly she didn't, "No. I'm sorry Mama, I just don't feel right leaving him in the condition he's in. His fever is really high, and he only wakes up to throw up. I've been applying cold compresses but they don't seem to help. I'm not sure what to do anymore," she really didn't, but she wasn't willing to give up. This is Adrien, her crush, she couldn't let him down.

"Have you tried an ice bath? Or just a cold bath? If his fever is that high you need to get him cold by all any means necessary, or he's going to end up having to go to the hospital."

She felt her face flush at what her mother was suggesting, "Bath!?" she squeaked, "But Mama, that's means I would have to get him- MAMA!"

"Oh Marinette, don't think of it that way. First see if he can undress himself, if not help him. I know you are a good girl, just help your friend," her mother giggled.

She was laughing at her, her mother was laughing at this situation, "Augh... OK Mom, I'm going to go, I'm sure he could use some relief from this fever. I love you Mama, I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you too sweetheart, be a good girl now."

She could practically feel her mother wink on the other end as she closed out of the call. Her mother, of all people, just suggested she strip down Adrien and get him into a bath. She wasn't mentally prepared for this, but she had to be, he needed her and she had to do it.

Softly, she padded back into the bedroom, only to find Adrien sitting up in bed swaying back and forth, sweat dripping off his face. Her heart ached seeing him this way. She made her way over to him, grabbed the cloth and carefully patted the sweat off his brow.

"Marinette... I heard a phone."

"My mother called, she was worried about where I was considering the time, it's OK though she gave me some advice to maybe break your fever."

He gazed at her with half lidded, glazed over eyes, "Time... What time is it?"

"9:30 p.m."

He nodded slowly and gripped her wrist to steady himself, "What did she say?"

Marinette bit her lip and placed her hand on top of his, his skin felt clammy, "Ice bath or a really cold one. She said we need to force the fever out, and the cold compress isn't enough. Do you think you can walk?"

"I-I don't know."

Wrapping her arm around his waist she eased him up, he leaned his head on her shoulder as they slowly made their way to the bathroom. Once inside, he grabbed the side of the tub, slowly sinking to the floor and pressing his face against the cool porcelain.

"I'll run the bath, do you think you can undress? O-or do you need h-help?" she tried not to make her voice waver to much, but she knew she failed. If he needed help, she wasn't sure how it wouldn't end up awkward the next day.

* * *

Everything hurt, his head, eyes, body. Everything. He barely heard her question, but nodded none the less and slowly started to take his shirt off. It was drenched in sweat and he was thankful to have it removed. Leaning against the tub again he let out a small whimper when his shoulder touched the porcelain, it was so cold and so soothing, he felt like he could sleep right there.

"Adrien? Adrien?" Marinette gently shook him by the shoulder, her small hand ice cold organist his burning flesh.

"Mmm...?"

"Can you finish undressing? Do you need help?" her voice was riddled with concern.

"Yeah... Help... Please."

* * *

She bit the inside of her cheek and grabbed the nearest bath towel, if she had to undress him at least this would cover things up and make things a little less awkward, at least for her. With trembling fingers she undid the tie on his sweatpants and tugged at the legs. Willing herself to focus on his face and not what she was doing, she was able to take them off without much hassle. The next part would prove to be a little more difficult. Taking a deep breath, she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxer briefs and in one fluid motion had them off and the towel covering his lower half.

She was so incredibly thankful he was too out of it to actually notice the lovely shade of tomato she had became, but she quickly shook herself off and helped him slide into the tub.

She watched his face carefully as the water flowed over his scorching skin, the first expression she saw was a grimace which made her heart hurt even more. Then it faded into a more calm and content look, the furrows between his brow disappeared and she felt relief spread over her.

* * *

Adrien wasn't sure what was going on, all he knew was he was cold, for the first time all night he truly felt cold. He wanted to sleep, his eyes burned and his head hurt but he was cold and that's all he cared about right now. That was until he head was placed upon something soft and squishy, and gentle fingers started to graze across his cheek. He purred, it felt fantastic, but what felt even better were the fingers that were now combing through his tousled locks, massaging his scalp.

He felt so at ease with the nimble fingers feathering his skin, he had to see who they belonged to. Somewhere deep in the back of his mind he was afraid he would open his eyes and see Chloe staring back at him., instead he saw the gentle face of Marinette, worry veiling her face as she stroked his.

"Mari..."

She smiled affectionately at him, "Adrien, are you feeling better?"

He nodded, "Yes... very much so. Thank you Marinette." he smiled, though it was still weak. His smile quickly turned into a frown when he noticed the tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. Had he said something wrong? He didn't think so, maybe he did something wrong... "Marinette, w-why are you crying?"

She forced a smile through the river of tears, "I'm happy, so happy. I'm so glad you feel better, I was so worried, you have no clue."

'Of course,' he thought, typical Marinette. She had such a big heart, such a kind and gentle soul, she would do anything for the ones she cared about, and in that instant his heart was filled with love for this girl, something he hadn't felt this strongly before.

"Do you want to get out now? It looks like your fever might have finally broke," She smiled as she wiped her eyes, and set a towel on the edge of the tub as he nodded at her. "I'll um... be right outside the door if you need me OK? When you are done you need to rest again, it's not even midnight."

* * *

Marinette slumped against the door, she was exhausted and hungry, but she need to focus on Adrien's health first. She about screamed when her Kwami suddenly appeared right in front of her face. "Ahhh... Tikki don't scare me like that."

Tikki couldn't help but giggle, "I'm sorry Marinette, how is Adrien doing? How are you doing?"

"He's doing better, I think the bath helped his fever. He was actually making sense before I left, so hopefully it's a good sign. As for me, I'm tired but I'll live. You know yourself I've went with less sleep saving Paris," she winked at Tikki and kissed her head. "Ahh he's coming out, Tikki hide."

She moved away from the door and quickly took her seat in the chair by his bed. He looked better his face wasn't as flushed and he looked much more lively. He plopped down on the bed and sat cross-legged facing her.

"All I can say is thank you Marinette," he smiled at her and took her hands in his, "Without you I'm not sure how I would have made it through tonight."

She blushed and smiled back at him, "Don't speak so too soon, the night isn't over just yet," she teased and rubbed circles on the back on his hand with her thumb. She was trying to focus on his face, blinking away the weight of exhaustion.

"You haven't slept, you spent too much time worrying about me. You need to sleep, Marinette."

"I know, I am tired, but it's to late to head home so I'll stay here just in case your fever comes back." She was surprised when he scooted over and pulled her into his bed, she felt her face grow hot and panic sweep over her, "Uh... A-Adrien what are you d-doing?"

"I feel bad because you haven't slept, and I'm getting tired again. You trust me right, Marinette?"

She nodded and rolled over on her side to face him, "Of course, Adrien, why wouldn't I? It just took me by surprise is all."

She looked into his eyes, they were unsure and she couldn't help but let out a small gasp when he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "Mmm... You smell so good Marinette."

She could only contribute his comment to his fever coming back and at this point she was too tired to even ask him what he meant, all she could do was snuggle closer to him and press her face against his chest.


	3. He's got to be delirious!

The sound of birds chirping and the smell of Camembert were the two things that woke Adrien up. He cracked his eyes open only to be blinded by the sunlight that was filling his bedroom. He tried to sit up, but stopped when he noticed the black haired girl clinging to his chest, but it was the wave of nausea that really forced him to stay put. "Marinette?" he couldn't remember what happened last night, and in the back of his mind he was praying he didn't do anything he would regret. "Marinette," he croaked and gently shook the sleeping girl.

"Mmmm...?" Marinette stirred at the sound of her name but went back to sleep.

Adrien smiled, 'She must be exhausted after taking care of me all night,' he sat up on his elbow and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. She looked so peaceful, after last night he really wasn't sure how he felt about this girl. She was so kind to him, so gentle, it had been ages since he experienced that sort of kindness.

He had to get up though, the nausea was starting to become overwhelming and he knew what would happen if he continued to wait. Carefully he crawled over her, trying his darnedest not to wake her up. Finally he stood, legs still shaky and made his way to the bathroom. Again he felt an overwhelming heat rush over him and found himself once again with his head in the toilet bowl. Having to balance himself on the sink, he looked into the mirror, the room was spinning and he had to focus to see his reflection.

He looked awful, hair tousled, face again flushed with sweat dripping from his brow. 'Augh... Is this ever going to end?' he splashed water on his face and once the room stopped spinning he made his way back into his room to find Plagg trying to open the mini-fridge.

"A little help here?" Plagg pouted and floated away from the fridge.

Adrein opened it up and grabbed him his morning slice of cheese, "Take it but go off somewhere else to eat it, I don't need to explain you to Marinette."

The little black Kwami grumbled and floated off somewhere, the smell of Camembert filled the room making Adrien feel nauseous again. Biting back the feeling he took advantage of the fact Marinette was still sleeping and changed into shorts and a tank-top, then flipped on the TV. 'No Akuma attacks so far, that's a relief.'

He heard the bed creak and turned to see Marinette sitting up, "Where am I-Oh... Adrien... H-hi."

"Hi yourself," he blushed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, "Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm... How about you? How are you feeling?"

He got up and sat down beside her, "I threw up earlier, I dont think my fever is back yet, but my stomach still hurts and I'm still pretty nauseated."

He watched her frown and check her phone, "I got a text from my mom, she'll be in the area soon and wants to drop of some snacks for us. Is that OK with you?"

He nodded, "Sure, although I'm not sure how much eating I can do, I can sure try."

* * *

Internally, Marinette was screaming, she had just spent the night in Adrien's bed, sleeping next to him. He hugged her, he cuddled her, and even told her she smelt good, as weird as that was. Alya was never going to believe this. In all honestly, she was having a really difficult time keeping herself composed when Adrien sat down next to her.

She was genuinely surprised when her mother texted her saying she would be stopping by with something to eat, she was starving and could definitely use some of her mothers home-cooked food. All she could do was hope that Adrien would be able to hold something down, but from what he told her about this morning she didn't think it was likely.

There was an awkward silence, and they both jumped when the intercom system announced someones presence at the gate. "I'll go down and let her in,"

"No Adrien, let me. You need to rest, climbing stairs will not help," she quickly moved to stand in front of him.

He nodded, "You have a point, all you need to do is press the button by the door and it will open the gate. I'll be waiting," he winked at her.

She felt her heart race, and swiftly made her way down the stairs. She pressed the button and flung the door open, watching her mother waltz up the driveway with a large bag on her arm.

"Hello dear! How is everything going? Did the bath help?"

"Yes, Mama, it did. He's doing better, still nauseated though. I'm pretty sure it's not over though, he said he threw up this morning and felt dizzy," Marinette frowned at her mom.

"That's unfortunate, but hopefully what I brought will help," she handed the bag over to Marinette, "There's two furnaces, one with tea the other with soup, and a bag of croissants and pastries. The tea should help calm his stomach, try to get him to eat the soup too, but only a little at a time."

"Thank you, Mama! I'll make sure of it, and I'll try to be home early tonight."

Sabine smiled wide and patted her daughter on the shoulder, "Take your time, sweetheart, I understand he's important to you. Take good care of him, make sure he is fully better before you leave. I have to leave now if I want to make my appointment, I love you, Marinette, be good!"

She waved to her mother as she left, and closing the door, she slumped against it. Did her mother really just encourage her to stay here again tonight? Really though she couldn't argue, knowing her luck she would leave, his fever would come back, he would need to go to the hospital, and no one would be there to help him.

She couldn't help but open the bag before she made her way up the stairs, the strong smells of ginger and cinnamon filled her nostrils, followed by a meaty smell she could only assume was the soup. She practically skipped up the stairs, mentally thanking her mom for being so amazing.

* * *

Adrien took a deep breath, tossed the pills back, and took a swig of water. He shivered, he could feel the onset of the fever coming back. He couldn't let Marinette know, he couldn't force her to stay here and take care of him, it wasn't fair to her. Hearing her coming up the stairs he did his best to compose himself.

"My mom brought tea, soup, and pastries!" she announced as she plopped down beside him on the bed. She pulled out the two furnaces, and the pastries, finding foam bowls, cups and plastic utensils buried underneath. He watched her pour him a small amount of soup in the bowl and hand it to him. He smiled and closed his eyes, it smelled amazing.

"Eat it slowly and a little at a time, when you're finished you can drink some tea, my mom said it will help your nausea." she beamed at him, then took a big bite out of a croissant.

After he finished the soup and drank some tea, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He honestly had no clue how he would ever repay Marinette for all she's done for him. Part of him had an idea, but the logical side of him knew that wasn't a good idea, so he would settle for something in between.

"Hey Marinette, I really don't know how to thank you," he smiled and grabbed her hand, and bringing it up to his lips, he softly kissed it.

* * *

She blinked a few times at him as a blush spread across her cheeks, "O-oh... umm... no need to t-thank me." Her face felt like it was on fire, he had never been that bold before, it almost reminded her of someone else.

His hand was still holding hers when he started gently rocking back and forth. She brought her other hand to his cheek and felt the all too familiar heat, "A-Adrien your fever is back."

He nodded, "I wasn't going to tell you, I shouldn't force you to stay here and take care of me, it's unfair to you. I'm sure you miss your parents, and miss sleeping in your own bed."

"No. Adrien, don't say that, I don't mind sleeping in your bed. Wait w-what I mean is, I don't mind taking care of you, it's not a hassle or anything and you aren't forcing me," she secretly hoped he didn't hear the part of not minding sleeping in his bed, what was she thinking anyway

"You don't mind sleeping in my bed? That's good to know."

"Adrien, I didn't mean it that way. I'm really sorry if that sounded bad. I just, I don't mind helping you... you mean a lot to me and I don't know. I'm sorry I'm rambling."

He pulled her so she was sitting next to him and wrapped his arms around her. She felt like she couldn't breath, he was so close his face just inches from her's. She was panicking inside, she wasn't like him, everything he did was so casual and deliberate, she was nothing but a klutz. This was Adrien Agreste for Pete's sake, it wasn't like he was some regular guy, he was the furthest from it. Yet here she sat, pressed against his side, on his bed, with his arms wrapped around her. She seriously felt like she was going to pass out.

He nuzzled his face against her hair, there it was again, she swore he heard him purring. What was going on? Was he just delirious? Or was it something else?

"You smell so nice Marinette, like sugar and vanilla. I could stay like this forever."

Ok she was sure he was one of two things, either-

1\. He was absolutely delirious

or

2\. He was making perfect sense and actually trying to complement her.

Either way she was unsure of what to do so she froze. She was really pathetic, she could handle him when he was sleeping, then she had no problem stroking his cheek or running her finger though his hair, but when he was awake she was clueless.

"Do you plan to stay again tonight?" his question was muffled by her hair.

She swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah, my mom said I should stay with you until I know for sure you are you're better. I would hate myself if I went home and something ended up happening to you."

He nodded and carefully pushed her down onto her back against the pillows. Curling up on his side he snuggled against her, resting his head on her chest.

She shuttered and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him in closer. 'What exactly is going on here?' she thought as she looked down at the sleeping boy.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, her Kwami was perched on top of a book case watching them. Next to her floated none other than Plagg, stuffing his face with cheese.

"Hrow rong do you thrink she wrill be hwere for?" Plagg asked as he popped another piece of Camembert in his mouth.

Tikki shook her head and flashed a smile at the mischievous cat, "I'm not sure, knowing Marinette she won't leave until she is sure in her heart that everything is OK, but on another note, don't they adorable together?"

"Sweet-tooth please, don't make me gag, I'll loose my appetite."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Augh that nickname... I must commend you though Plagg, you have been doing a good job staying hidden from Marinette."

"Yeah well we were told not to meddle, so I'm staying out of it. If they want to find out who each-other is, they will. Although if there is an Akuma attack, I'm not sure what we do."

She shrugged, "I guess we will deal with that when or if it comes to it, but for now let's let them enjoy the moment. They deserve to rest and relax, hopefully nothing else will go wrong."


	4. HE KISSED ME!

Marinette wasn't sure what woke her, but she had a resounding sense of unease. The first initial sense of panic started when she looked over and Adrien wasn't there. The second wave hit when Tikki flew to her obviously upset. "Tikki, what's the matter, where's Adrien?"

The concern was spread thick on the Kwami's face, "The bathroom, he got up a little while ago. I'm worried, Marinette, he ran in there and hasn't come out yet."

Marinette's heart was in her throat, she knocked on the door, "Adrien? Are you in there? Is everything OK?"

No response.

"Adrien, please answer me?"

Nothing.

"Adrien I'm coming in, I'm sorry if you aren't decent," she hesitated for a minute, then slid the door open. The sight made her knees weak, Adrien was laying on the floor, face pressed against the tile. It was obvious he had been vomiting, there were flecks of blood on the toilet seat and the tile. It took her mind a minute to comprehend the situation, but when it did she flew to his side. Kneeling beside him she slowly rolled him onto his back. Her heart leapt when he groaned, 'OK, at least he's alive,' she mentally scolded herself for thinking otherwise.

"Adrien! Adrien, can you hear me?" she cradled his head on her lap and brushed his hair out of his face. She had no clue how loud she was talking but it was somewhere between screaming and Spanish soccer announcer.

Adrien's eyes shot open and he bolted up, only to have to support himself against Marinette.

"Adrien what happened?"

"Um... I felt sick, threw up and pass out, I guess."

She sighed heavily and helped him back into the bed, covering him up and bringing him a glass of water. "I'm glad I woke up when I did."

"How did you even know where I was? I could have been anywhere."

"I umm... Intuition? Lucky guess? It doesn't matter how I found you, it just matters that I did, and obviously you haven't gotten any better. If it keeps up like this we might have to end up taking you to the hospital."

"No hospitals," he muttering looking away.

She rubbed her temples, "If it doesn't get better by tomorrow you will have to go in before you get even worse."

He avoided her gaze and nodded, turning so his back was to her.

"Adrien... I'm sorry I didn't mean to be pushy or anything. I'm just worried about you, I can't help it. Please don't be angry with me." she wasn't sure why she felt like she was just rejected, but it hurt.

"It's not you, Marinette, I just don't like hospitals. Just personal reasons, believe me, it's not you," he whispered, cocking his head so he could look at her solemn face.

She nodded and drew her legs up to her chest, for the first time since she had been there she felt like leaving.

* * *

Adrien knew the way he was acting upset Marinette. He was acting like a four-year-old who didn't want to get their booster shots, it's not like she knew or anything, all she was doing was trying to help. He turned to her, she had her legs drawn up in the chair, her face buried in her knees. He sat up and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Marinette, I'm acting like a child. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I'll go, but only if you go with me."

A small smile crossed her face and she nodded, "Of course."

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. One hand moved to her cheek, the other to her neck and in a split second their lips grazed. It was the lightest of kisses, but it was a kiss no doubt.

"I'm sorry... I'm not sure what came over me and I really don't want to get you sick or anything. Please forgive me," he frowned, realizing he had probably crossed some sort of boundary, he didn't even ask if he could, he just did it. What if she hated it? What if she hated him now? What if she leaves?

"I... I..." and she was gone, the bathroom door slamming behind her.

He sat still on the bed, staring at the bathroom door, regret radiated off of him in waves. 'What did I just do?'

* * *

Marinette slumped against the bathroom door, heat spread up her face all the way to the roots of her hair, while butterflies danced in the pit of her stomach. 'He kissed me. HE KISSED ME.' Internally she was screaming, she couldn't think, she could barely even breathe. 'Adrien Agreste, my lifelong crush, just kissed me, a-and I ran... I literally ran away from him. I'm stupid, so, so stupid! Marinette, what were you thinking? I'm such an idiot.' She didn't know how she could ever face him again, she acted like a baby. 'Oh Marinette, what did you do when Adrien kissed you? Oh... well I ran, I ran like a stupid baby.'

She honestly had no clue what to do now, she couldn't spend the rest of the night in the bathroom, but how could she face him after that? Any feelings he had for her were probably long gone, and now he would just see her as 'Baby Marinette' who cant even handle a simple kiss.

She suddenly heard a knock at the door, '"Marinette..."

Looking down and leaned against the door, "Yes..."

"Please come out, I'm really sorry if I pushed you too far. Please don't hate me." his words were sincere and heartfelt and she could feel the raw emotion in them.

She opened the door, her eyes raising to meet his, they were filled with sadness and regret. Flinging herself at him, she wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his chest. She felt one of his hands on the back of her head, the other on the small of her back. It was comforting, and she felt at ease, almost confident...maybe to confident.

She slid her fingers down his back and felt him shiver and a small noise escaped his lips. Her fingers sneaking their way under his tank-top began caressing the soft skin they found. She sighed when she felt his fingers mirror her own. She leaned her chin up and he caught her lips, the kiss was gentle but intoxicating. Her body felt like it was on fire, and she pressed against him begging for more.

As the kiss deepened and fingers and hands explored, something clicked inside her head. 'This isn't right, this isn't why I'm here,' it took all the strength in her body to pull away from the warmth of his body and lips.

"Wha-"

"It's not right Adrien, this isn't why I'm here, this... as nice as it is, just isn't right."

* * *

He couldn't help but shiver as her fingers snaked their way down his sides, a mewl escaping his lips, but when her fingers finally made contact with the bare skin of his back, he felt his head spin. He looked down at her, she tiled her face up to meet his gaze, and he couldn't contain himself. He captured her lips with his, and he was drowning, this girl was going to be the death of him.

Her smell, her touch, her lips, everything about her made him want more. His body was reacting in ways it never had before, and an unfamiliar warmth was pooling in his belly. His head was spinning as their kiss deepened and her hands explored his body, and just like that, it was gone. She pulled away, he couldn't even think, "Wha-"

"It's not right Adrien, this isn't why I'm here, this... as nice as it is, just isn't right," she was pacing, obviously conflicted with the situation, she looked to him for some sort of resolve.

"We could make it right?" he blurted out, then mentally slapped himself.

"No... No Adrien, it's just... We can't. I'm sorry, and if you're feeling better I'd rather sleep on the couch tonight."

He couldn't stop her, all he could do was accept her decision, and suffer.


	5. Wallowing in self-pity again hmm?

Adrien woke with a start, sitting up on his elbow he felt an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was missing. Throwing his legs off the bed, he sat with his head in his hands as scenes from last night played out before him. He remembered passing out in the bathroom after having another puking fit, ah and he remembered Marinette coming in and getting him back into the bed. He remembered her mother bringing them soup, tea, and pastries, and Marinette trying to persuade him to go to the hospital. He remembered getting angry at her suggestion and the solemn expression on her face when he argued it. The kiss! They kissed, he could remember that more vividly than anything else, the feel of her touch, the taste of her lips… He was going mad just thinking about it.

His heart sank when he remembered her pushing him away, convincing him what they were doing was wrong even though it felt so horribly right.

The rejection was new to him, all his life he had everything, well almost everything handed to him, the only person to tell him no was his father. When it came to girls, they swooned over him, but he was always the one who refused them. This sensation of rejection was unfamiliar and it was hitting him hard. The moment she asked to sleep on the couch, was when he thought he was going to break down.

The heartbreak he felt was overwhelming, so much so he found himself trying to fight back burning hot tears.

He realized now he probably hurt her more than anything, he had overstepped any boundaries they had and put her in an uncomfortable situation. He was afraid to face her, how could he seriously look her in the face. Then he understood why he felt so empty, Marinette was nowhere to be seen.

"Marinette?" he called her name, "Marinette are you still here?"

No answer.

He searched everywhere, from the bathroom to the kitchen and she was nowhere to be found. He collapsed down onto his couch, not being able to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. He was alone, again, and it was all his fault. He wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands, but the tears didn't stop. He'd blown any chance he had with Marinette, he felt so alone, so unloved. No one else that loved him and he knew it, his own father sure didn't, and all he had with ladybug was a partnership. He had lost the one person who loved him long ago, and how he probably lost the only chance he would ever have to feel that way again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black float by, and land on his shoulder. "Wallowing in self-pity again hmm?"

"Shut it Plagg, I'm not in the mood for your wisecracks."

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong then?"

"As if you even care," Adrien couldn't help but be short with his Kwami, Plagg never seemed to take anything seriously.

"Just tell me what's going on. I know I'm not the best at this sort of thing, but I'm your Kwami, I'm supposed to be here to guide you and offer you advice."

"I'm sure you saw what happened last night," Adrien couldn't help but wince at the thought.

Plagg hesitated, "Um… Well… No… I had a… A date so to say."

"A date?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at Plagg.

"Ummm… Yeah just forget about it. Are you were going to explain what happened or not?"

"Oh yeah. I dunno know, it happened so fast. First, we were hugging, then the kiss, then well things heated up, and she pushed me away. She said what we were doing wasn't right, and I guess she left while I as asleep."

"That's rough. Are you goin—" Adrien was ignoring Plagg, as his focus had switched to a folded piece of paper sitting on the coffee table, he leaned forward to grab it, "Adrien? Are you even listening to me? I'm trying to be nice here."

Adrien unfolded the paper, "I'm sorry Plagg, this is from Marinette, she left me a note."

Dear Adrien,

I went home to finish homework for tomorrow.

I'll be back around noon with something to eat, sorry I didn't wake you before I left, you looked like you were sleeping well and I didn't want to disturb you.

Please don't worry, everything is OK, we can talk about stuff later tonight.

Yours,

Marinette.

All he could feel right now was a mind-boggling sense of relief. She wasn't mad, and she only left him to do homework, he had over reacted for nothing. Maybe all hope wasn't lost, maybe he actually still had a chance with her. Really before this weekend, he had never even considered her as anything more than a good friend, but now, he had gotten a chance to see the true Marinette. She wasn't just some socially awkward, fumbling girl who could never complete a sentence around him, she was sweet and compassionate with a gentle pure soul, and everything about her made his fondness for her grow stronger and stronger.

He glanced at the clock, he had two hours to calm himself down before she would be back, therefore, all he could do is sit and wait.

* * *

Sabine knew something was up the minute her usually cheery daughter walked in slumped over. Call it mother's intuition, call it what you will, but she knew something was wrong.

"Hello sweetheart, I'm surprised to see you back so soon! Why the long face?" she handed Marinette glass of lemonade and motioned for her to sit. "How's your friend doing?"

She watched Marinette bite her lip and look away, "I'm not sure, he seemed better last night."

"Well, that's wonderful! It must have been my tea, but I don't think that's what has you down."

"Mom… He…"

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Did he do something you didn't want him to do?"

"No."

"Do I need to call the police?"

"What? Mom no it's nothing like that," Marinette rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, "H-he well, he k-kissed me."

Sabine laughed and placed her hand on Marinette's shoulder, "Honey, what's wrong with that? Isn't that what you have wanted for the awhile now?"

"Yes but, it didn't feel right. I wasn't there on a date, I was there because he was sick and I wanted to help him," Marinette looked at her mom, "What do I do? He probably hates me now, I ran mom, I ran like a baby."

"Oh Marinette, do what your heart says. Get done whatever you came home to do, go back and if you really do care about this boy let him know how you feel. That's the only advice I can offer to you, I know you will do what's right and what your heart tells you to do. You are a wonderful person Marinette, kind, compassionate, with a heart of gold. I can thoroughly understand why this boy has feelings for you, also I'm proud to have you as my daughter. Now go, get done what you need to do."

"Thank you, Mom, you are the best!" with a kiss Marinette started up the stairs.

"Oh, and I will have a bag with lunch in the fridge for you to take back with you when you leave, don't forget! I'm sure that boy is starving!" Sabine smiled to herself, she truly had one spectacular daughter.

* * *

Marinette was halfway through her physics homework when her phone went off, seeing her best friends face on her screen made her heart drop, this was just what she needed right now. "Hey Alya, what's up?"

"Don't you 'what's up' me, I have been trying to call you all weekend, where the heck have you been?"

"Well... I... Um..." she couldn't help but whisper, "I spent the last three days at Adrien's house."

"YOU WHAT?! You spent the whole weekend with Adrien?! What did you do? Is he any better? Did you... MARINETTE! You didn't? Did you?" Alya was a whirlwind of emotion on the other end.

"Of course, we didn't, geez Alya get your mind out of the gutter."

"Oh, so you didn't spend the nights there, sorry I just assumed..."

"I-I did spend the nights there, but it was simply platonic, well at least until last night that is."

Alya screamed, "Oh my God, gimme the scoop girl, you did do it didn't you? I knew it, even you can't say no to Adrien."

"Alya come on, what do you take me for? It was just a kiss, that's all, and I stopped it before it got out of hand. Although it was honestly the worst mistake I think I made, I'm pretty sure I really hurt Adrien."

"You told him no?" Alya's voice was filled with shock, her eyes went wide.

"Yeah... It didn't feel right, I was there to help him, nothing else. I'm not sure what to do Alya, my mom told me to follow what my heart says, but I'm not sure what it's saying right now."

"Awww, Marinette. I'm sure you will think of something. Are you going back to his place?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure he's one hundred percent yet, I slept on the couch last night but even so I know he didn't sleep well, he was up and down a lot, I think maybe his stomach is still bothering him."

"Wait... WAIT! You slept in his bed?! Oh my God, tsk tsk Marinette," she waved her finger into the camera.

Marinette rolled her eyes, "Like I said before it was platonic. I'm going to go, I still need to finish my homework, and I told Adrien I would be back by noon."

Alya shook her head, "We get a long weekend, and you are still procrastinating, girl you are cray cray. Ok, I'll text you later! Bye!"

"Bye!" Marinette closed out of the call and closed her eyes, "Tikki should I really tell him how I feel? Well, I guess the kiss last night was a good indicator."

Tikki was grinning, "I agree with your mother Marinette, do what your heart says. It's obvious Adrien has feelings for you, I think its time you act on your own."

"How do I know it wasn't just his fever talking?"

"Marinette I don't think so, though you will never know unless you try. Finish up your work and head back, you don't want to make Adrien wait do you?"

She patted Tikki on the head and smiled, "No, I wouldn't want to do that would I?"

* * *

Adrien checked his phone, 11:45, Marinette would be coming back soon. He leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair, 'What do I do?' He got up and flopped down on the bed, burying his face in a pillow, it still smelled like Marinette from the night before, like vanilla and sugar. The smell was intoxicating, it drew out memories from last night, of her kiss and her touch. He felt heat flood to the pit of his stomach and a sudden tightness in his jeans. His breath hitched, he had to suppress a moan when he shifted, feeling the hardness rub against the matress. Closing his eyes he reached a hand down and felt the bulge in his jeans, 'This isn't a dream, I really am getting turned on just thinking about Marinette.'

He got up, stripping as he made his way to the bathroom. Standing under the showerhead he turned the knob, jumping when it first came out ice cold but he relaxed as the warmth flowed down his body. He bit his lip, temptation overwhelming him as the room filled with steam.

The images in his head were vivid. Trying not to think about what he was doing, he moved his hand down his abdomen and wrapped it around his hardon. He groaned, thinking back to the kiss they shared last night. The way her nimble fingers worked his back, he couldn't help but wonder how they would work other areas.

His hand was a blur, he wondered what she looked like underneath her clothes. Her small, subtle breasts, smooth creamy skin, she was soft, natural, and the more he thought about it the closer he got. The perfect body, that's what she had, from her jet black hair all the way down to her perfectly round bottom. He moaned, his climax hitting him hard. Grabbing the shower bar for support, he tried to regain his composure. With weak knees, he dried off and quickly got dressed.

'What did I just do? What has gotten into me?' He sat on the couch, head in his hands, he had to get a hold of himself, control his urges, if he didn't who knows what would happen once Marinette got there.


	6. I'm just some piece of designer plastic

"Done!" Marinette shouted as she slammed her tablet pen down on the table and pushed her chair back, spinning a few times in it. She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of black sweats, white camisole, and an oversized pink sweater. Slipping them on, she smiled a Tikki, "OK I'm ready to go, I think."

"Are you going to tell him Marinette?"

"Yes. I am, I need to. No more secrets Tikki, I'm going to tell him exactly how I feel."

Her Kwami nuzzled against her cheek, "I'm so proud of you Marinette, I know you can do it."

She dashed down the stairs, practically mowing her dad over in the process, grabbed the bag out of the fridge and yelled up the stairs, "I'll see you both tomorrow, Love you!"

'I can do this, I can do this. We already kissed, telling him how I feel won't be a big deal at all.'

* * *

Adrien was a mess, splashing water on his face, he stared into the mirror, 'What is wrong with you man? God she's got me good.'

"Well? What do you plan on doing stud?" Plagg floated around his head, the smell of camembert filling the bathroom.

"God that stuff wreaks. Anyway, I'm not sure yet, I should just tell her how I feel. I have no clue how she feels, though, she might just want to be friends. I guess I could live with that although with the events of last night, being just friends might pose to be difficult."

"Yeah, especially when you pop one every time you think about her. You humans, I'll never understand you."

"Plagg! Don't put it that way, geez."

"I'm out of cheese! I should keep my strength up in case there is an Akuma attack."

Adrien rolled his eyes, "Enough cheese for you, go hide somewhere, Marinette should be here any minute, and I don't need to explain you."

Just then he heard the intercom go off, "Plagg please..." he was begging now.

"Normandie or I stay and you get to explain what the heck I am."

"Augh. Fine Normandie, but go!" Adrien said as he opened his bedroom down, calling down to Gorilla to let Marinette in and send her up.

He was a bundle of nerves, he wasn't sure whether to stand or sit on the bed, though he decided on the latter. When the knock came, his voice caught in his throat, "Come in!" he sounded like a strangled monkey.

He got up to greet her, smiling as he noticed the large bag she was struggling to carry, "Let me take that," he grabbed it from her and sat it down on the desk.

"My mom might have gone a little overboard with lunch."

"How so?" he gasped when he peered into the bag.

"A thermos of tea, a box of croissants, cookies, finger sandwiches and-" she paused to laugh, "A whole salmon pie, she remembered how much you like it, so I guess she thought you could keep the rest and eat it another time."

He turned to her, grinning ear to ear. He was astonished, her face held no sign of hesitation or embarrassment. He had never seen her this confident, it boosted his own. "Honestly, I'm starving. You will have to thank your mom for me."

"You can do it yourself, she hopes you will have dinner with us sometime this week, that is if you are feeling up to it, and your dad will let you."

He nodded and sat on the bed, "I would love that, I'll try my hardest to make it happen." No one had ever invited him to dinner before, not even Chloe. He would have to beg and plead his dad, and if push came to shove sneak out if he had to, but there was no way he was missing dinner with her and her family.

"Well shall we dig in?" she was grinning at him, no not grinning, she was shining, she was radiant.

* * *

Marinette sipped her tea, glancing at the boy next to her, the same boy who had now consumed 2 croissants, 5 finger sandwiches, 2 pieces of salmon pie and three cups of tea. She never knew Adrien had that sort of an appetite, but I guess it came with being a model, he was on a strict diet. She couldn't help but laugh when he shoved a whole piece of pie in his mouth, practically choking on it.

"Whaz so frunny?"

"Nothing, are you enjoying the food?"

"Yes! It's amazing, your family's amazing cooks!"

"Wait till you try the cookies, I made them myself, hopefully, you will like them."

He held his stomach and nodded, "They will have to wait, I'm stuffed right now," he flopped back on the bed with a heavy sigh.

"So I guess you are feeling better huh?"

"Yeah, I was a little nauseous this morning, but it went away awhile ago. I feel the best I have all weekend."

She nodded, "I guess I won't have to stay the night huh? My services are no longer needed."

He shot up and frowned at her, "Well... Ummm... You said you wanted to talk right? By the time we do that and eat some leftovers for dinner, it will be too late for me to allow you to go home. I refuse to let you go home in the dark, its just not safe!" he was rambling and he knew it, he just hoped it sounded believable.

He could hear her chuckle, "Fair enough, I'll stay one more night."

Adrien's heart flew, one more night, that one night could change everything, and if he had anything to say about it, that was just what would happen. He moved so he was sitting cross-legged at the head of the bed, "You said you wanted to talk about last night... Do you mind if I go first? I have a few things I need to get off my chest."

She sat to mirror him, "Of course, I'm all ears."

* * *

She was genuinely surprised that Adrien wanted to talk first, but she was more than willing to listen to anything he had to say. She folded her hands in her lap and focused on his face, ready to hear what he need to say.

He wasn't looking at her, instead, he was looking down, she could feel his unease the tension hung in the air. Leaning forward she placed a hand on his, "Its ok Adrien, I'm listening."

He nodded, "The last few days were the best I think I have had in a long time. I... Well... The way you made me feel... I haven't felt that way in ages. Not since my mom left. She was the last person to truly show me, love, you know? She saw me as a person, a living breathing person, not a pawn, an object used to make money. That's all my dad cares about, money, fame, power, and I'm the poster child for all of that. I never asked for any of this, It was just... Shoved on me." He stopped, still not meeting her eyes.

"Adrien... I-"

"If it was up to me, I would rather have your life Marinette, a loving family, in a stable house. Your parents, they are so supportive of you, so encouraging. Honestly, I envy that, I envy you. I'm sorry, it sounds rude and selfish, but I would give up all of this for just a taste of what you have. Although I did get the smallest taste of that, though, the last few days you have been here, for the first time I wasn't alone. I felt your caring heart, your gentle touch, it made me feel real again, and not just some piece of designer plastic." He looked up finally, and that's when she saw them, the tears.

"Adrien..."

"It's you Marinette, you are the reason I was able to feel happy again," His voice was shaky, "Right now, I'm not sure what my heart is telling me, but I... I know how I feel. I have never met someone like you, you would give anything to help someone you care about. You make me feel whole again, and I haven't felt that way in awhile... I don't know what I'm trying to say right now, all I know is I don't want to lose that feeling, I don't want to lose you. No matter what stupid stunt I pulled last night, no matter what boundaries I crossed, it won't happen again. You mean a lot to me Marinette, and I just wanted you to know that."

* * *

The tears were streaming down his cheeks, she brushed her thumb against his flushed cheeks, wiping away the tears. "Adrien. I want to be there for you like I have the last few days. Until now I was scared, scared to tell you how I felt, but I'm not scared anymore. It's because of you I have the courage that I do right now. You mean so much to me, Adrien, you have for a long time, I just couldn't find the words to tell you, literally," she smiled and moved closer to him. "Right now, I'm not sure what any of this means for us, but I know how I feel. You mean a lot to me Adrien, and I just wanted you to know that."

"-You mean a lot to me Adrien, and I just wanted you to know that." The way she mirrored his words, made it even harder for him to hold on to what little bit of composure he had left. He felt weak, weak for crying in front of her, weak for putting everything out in the open, but he didn't regret it if anything he felt relieved. Relieved, but still weak none the less.

He watched her closely, everything about her drew him in more and more, he took her free hand in his and held it tightly. She moved closer and closer until her lips were inches away from his.

"Adrien..." she moved in, brushing her lips against his. He felt the sparks, this wasn't just a kiss, it was an invitation. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her onto his lap, he felt her hands snake through his hair.

He wasn't sure if he should pull away or keep going, but her tongue against his lower lip sealed the deal for him. Their kiss deepened, tongues dancing, breath coming out in small pants. He felt that now all too familiar heat poll in the pit of his stomach, he let out a small moan. Honestly, he was unsure if she knew what she was doing to him, how the way she moved against him was driving him insane.

It was getting hot, unbearably hot, he broke the kiss, trailing kisses down her jaw and neck. Gently he nipped at her nape, drawing out a throaty gasp from her. His breath was ragged, his pants, his chest everything felt tight and constricting. "Marinette..." he breathed her name.

"Mhm?" her eyes met his, they were darker than normal, filled with the same things he was feeling.

"Are you sure about this? Because once we start, there is no turning back."

She nodded and slid her fingers under his shirt, tracing over its developing abs, up his chest, and on the floor with a toss. He felt a growl form in the back of his throat, she was serious this time.

He moved his shaky hands under her shirt, feeling the softness of her skin, it was almost too much for him. He wanted her, all of her, right now. Her sweater and camisole were off and on the floor within seconds, he thought he was going to suffocate, she was so beautiful.

He never expected this to be happening, not in a million years, not with Marinette. He wouldn't change it for anything, though, this is what he wanted, who he wanted.

* * *

Marinette felt like she was going to pass out, he was gorgeous. There they sat, her on his lap, both shirtless, neither with any idea what to do next. They sat there for a moment in awkward silence, she took a deep breath and ran her hands down his chest, his eyes followed her hands. They landed on the waistband of his sweatpants, she gave him a playful smirk and leaned forward to kiss his neck.

She felt his fingers on her back, fumbling with the clasps of her bra, she could tell he was getting frustrated, so she reached behind her back and unclasped it for him. Shuddering as her breasts were exposed for the first time, the cold air raised goose bumps on her skin and tightened her nipples

Adrien stopped, eyes wide, she was unsure if he was still breathing or not. His mouth was agape, and the way he was ogling at her chest made her slightly uncomfortable. Gathering up all the courage she could she grabbed his hands by the wrists and placed them on her chest.

He swallowed hard, so hard she could hear it, gently he massaged her breasts, squeezing softly. He was scanning her face, she was sure he was looking for any bit of hesitation, but he wasn't going to find any. She wanted this, she wanted him.

She pressed her lips against his again, he laid back on the bed, drawing her on top of him. His fingers hooked into the waistband of her sweatpants, sliding them down he tossed them into the pile of clothing.

There she was, on top of the boy she loved than anything, in nothing but her panties. She knew where this was going, and she wouldn't stop it for the world. Every touch against her skin ignited a wildfire inside of her that nothing could put out.

"Adrien..." she moaned as he pinched on of her nipples, he was getting bolder with his touches. She sat up straddling him, that was when she felt it, the hardness pressed against her panties. Her eyes widened, the reality of the situation came crashing down on her, this was going to happen.

He flipped her onto her back, spreading her legs wide and moving between them. He tugged off his sweats, she couldn't help but stare at the bulge in his boxer briefs, "Not yet princess, not yet."

His lips were on her neck, sucking and nibbling, moving their way down until they encased her nipple, tongue swirling around the hard nub. Her gasp of pleasure was loud and she didn't care. When he sucked hard on her nipple, she swore something exploded behind her lids. Her body was shaking, she couldn't stop the arching of her back or the rocking on her lips, searching for the hardness between his legs.

He pressed hard against her, a shock went from head to toe, and a shiver ran through her body. 'What is this feeling?' there was a growing pressure in her abdomen, its was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

She knew her panties were soaked by now, she didn't care, she was so thankful when he pulled them off. He met her gaze, staring into her eyes as he slid a finger downward until he found her wetness. She cried out his name when he slid a finger inside, her hips bucking, sucking his finger deeper. Her head was swimming, his breath was hot on her neck, his finger moved, drawing her mewls.

* * *

The hot slickness around his finger was incredible, with every move she was sucking him in more and more, before he knew it he had 3 fingers inside her and she was panting his name. Grinning, he went back to the assault on her breast, pumping his fingers steadily inside her. Her moans were constant now, her hands gripping the sheets.

"Shit, Adrien!" he felt her walls clamp around his fingers, her back arching, bodying trembling, she stilled, her breathing labored, and sweat dripping from her brow.

He grinned at her, "Was it good?"

She nodded and smiled back, he watched as she ran her hand down her chest, she hesitated for a second, before she gently grasped his bulge, stroking her hand up and down the ridge. He moaned, unable to hold back anymore, his boxers met the pile of clothes, his erection standing tall.

Marinette hesitated for a moment, before moving her hand to wrap around his dick. It felt amazing, her hands were so soft, when they grazed the tip he let out a heady moan. His hips jutted forward, sliding himself into her hand, "Marinette, I can't wait any longer."

She nodded, "Me either, please... Hurry."

She didn't have to ask him twice, he spread her legs wide, pressing himself against her, slowly he moved up and down, sliding his dick across her folds, rubbing moving the tip against her clit. His head was swimming, she was moaning his name, he felt close and he wasn't even inside her yet.

He leaned back slightly and pull a condom out of one of the drawers by his bed, he tore it open and slide in on. He was so hard, so hot, so ready, and she was perfection, her body, her mind, her soul, he loved all of her, craved all of her.

He placed his hands on her hips and positioned himself against her entrance, taking a deep breath he slid the tip inside. Their gasps came out in unison, she was so tight, so hot, it was overwhelming.

"Adrien..." she pleaded, her legs wrapping around his waist, "Please... Please move."

He grinned, and captured her mouth again, as he pumped into her. The faster he moved the more her body responded, arching, tightening, he wanted more. He moved one hand down and began rubbing circles on her clit, she broke the kiss crying out his name again. He could tell she was close already, so was he.

He tried his hardest to prolong the inevitable, he took her nipple into his mouth, biting down gently and sucking in earnest, as he thrust into her. She cried out again, screaming his name, her insides clamping around him, drawing his climax out. It hit him hard, he moaned her name, his hips moving on their own accord until slowly he came down from the high.

He pulled out, tossing the condom in the trash, and collapsing next to her on the bed. He didn't regret it, he couldn't regret it, it was amazing, she was amazing.

* * *

He drew her into his arms, tightening them around her and buried his face in her hair. She clung to him, planting small kisses on his neck and shoulder, it was incredibly intimate and she relished in it.

"Marinette... You are beautiful. I-I love you," he whispered, planting a kiss on her hair, it sounded so sincere.

She wanted to say it back, she wanted to say it more than anything, but she couldn't form the words. A lump grew in her throat, the tears spilled down her cheeks and onto his shoulder.

"Marinette? Why are you crying?" He tightened his hold on her.

She couldn't answer, she had no clue why she was crying, "I-its just... Today has been overwhelming, I didn't expect to be here, to do what we did... I'm not saying I regret it, its just I don't think I'm ready to say it back Adrien. Believe me, I feel the same way you do, but right now, I just can't say the words. I'm sorry."

He stroked her hair and smiled, "Marinette, it's OK, take your time. As long as I know you feel the same, you don't have to say it right away. All I know is you are all I need to be happy, and I don't want tonight to end."

She took his lips in hers, she didn't want the night to end either, Adrien made her felt safe, comfortable. She pressed their foreheads together and grinned, "Tomorrow... No one to know this happened got it? If Alya found out, the whole school would know, and I really don't want to start planning my funeral at the hands of Chloe," she couldn't help but laugh, he joined in hugging her tightly.

"Don't worry, for now at school we are still just friends. Although there is no saying tomorrow won't be the most awkward day of our lives, but you know its a small price to pay after these last few days, after tonight. We should try to sleep, though, it's almost midnight."

Nodding she buried her face into his chest, inhaling his scent, woodsy, musky, wild, she loved it. It wasn't long until she let the exhaustion take over, falling into a sound sleep on Adrien's chest. This was the last place she ever saw herself being, but right now it felt like home.


	7. I'll try to be a good nurse

Adrien awoke to an arm in his face and snoring filling his ears. Rubbing his eyes he sat up, turning to look at the girl sprawled across his bed. He couldn't help but laugh, she had the worse case of bedhead, but she looked utterly adorable. It was 6am, still to early to actually get up, but as much as he tried he couldn't go back to sleep, so instead he opted for a shower.

The shower was a quick one, all the while he tried to not think about the night before. He couldn't let his mind wander, or it would just make school more difficult. He was still trying to figure out how he would get out of telling Nico what happened, that guy was just as sharp as Alya, he would know if Adrien was hiding something. Brushing that thought away he came back into the bedroom and plopped down beside the still sleeping Marinette. Leaning over he shook her softly by the shoulders, "OK Marinette, time to get up!"

"Mmmm... Tikki stop... hmnph." She rolled over and sighed in her sleep.

'Tikki'? What's a Tikki?' he dismissed the thought, and continued to shake her, "Marinette, wake up now!"

"Adrien?" she shot up and off the bed right onto the hardwood, colliding with the bedside table as she did, "Ouch! Crap!"

He couldn't help it, an all out belly laugh erupted from him, she was so klutzy yet so adorable. "Are you OK? Didn't break anything right?"

"Ha ha very funny, who's big idea was it to put this table here anyway? Haven't you ever fell out of bed before?"

He shook his head and grinned, "No? I don't sleep on that side of the bed, and I don't squirm as much as you do."

"For your information, I do not squirm! I just have a hard time getting comfortable!"

"Mhm sure, you also snore, and talk in your sleep."

"I resent that! I do not snore!"

"OK sure," He couldn't help but laugh at her antics, "But you do talk in your sleep."

"I do not, and you have no proof. Now end of conversation what time is it anyway?"

"7:30. Do you want to grab some breakfast quick? I need to be at school early for my Chinese lesson."

"Sure lemme get dressed and I'll head down!" she grabbed her clothes off the floor and started to get dressed.

"OK, I'll see you down there," he headed down the stairs, already knowing what he was going to make. It had been ages since he made his own breakfast instead of someone preparing it for him. Knowing how Marinette was, he decided to go simple, a croissant each, a bowl of berries topped with yogurt and espresso. He hoped it was up to her standards, grinning to himself while he waited at the bar. 'I'm going to wake up soon and it's all going to be a dream, a long wonderful dream.'

"Oooh! Adrien this looks amazing!" she beamed when she saw the spread.

"I'm glad you like it, now lets hurry and eat."

* * *

The walk to school was oddly quiet and rather awkward. Even with the intimacy they shared the night before, there was no hand holding, no indication they were anything more than friends. Which was what she asked for, but somewhere deep inside she regretted that request. They split up at the steps of the school, "I'll see you in class!" she called after him, he nodded and waved before heading inside.

The school was quiet, not many kids were here at this time of the morning, so she sat on a step and pulled out her phone.

Marinette: Morning Alya

No reply back, so she brought up the Ladyblog, but since there were no Akuma attacks this weekend there were no new posts.

"What's the matter Marinette? Aren't you happy?" Tikki's high pitched voice hit her ears.

"I am happy Tikki, just unsure if I am going about all of this the right way. I told Adrien I wanted to act like nothing happened when we are at school, but now that we are here I regret saying that, I want him to hold my hand and profess that we are something. Then again are we anything? So what if we had sex last night, that doesn't automatically make him my boyfriend, he said he didn't know what his heart wanted right now. Did I make a mistake Tikki?"

Tikki nudged her cheek and smiled, "No Marinette, I don't think you did. Adrien, for the most part, knows how you feel now, and that's what you wanted isn't it? So just go with the flow, what happens happens right?" Tikki was always the voice of reason and optimism, she was there to offer Marinette advice and guidance, and once again she was right.

"Tikki you are right, ah! Hide, Alya is coming," she stood and gathered her bag, waving at her friend, "Hey Alya!"

Alya cocked an eyebrow at her, "Why are you here so early? You are never here on time, let alone early. What's up?"

Well dang, all she said was hey and Alya was already suspicious. "I... Um... Well, I thought I would get here early to surprise you, you know cause you always say I can't get here on time..." she knew it wasn't convincing, but it was the best she could come up with on the fly.

"Mhm. I know you are hiding something, and you know me I always get the scoop. It involves Adrien doesn't it? Am I right? or am I right?"

"Augh Alya, please."

"Something happened at Adrien's didn't it?"

"What? No... yes... no! Alya, this time, I'm really going to ask you not to pry OK?"

"OK girl, one more question, though, when I find out will I want to kill him?" she nudged Marinette in the side with her elbow.

"No, it's nothing like that. Let's just drop it OK and get the class?"

"Alright whatever you say lady, let's go."

* * *

Nino's game of twenty questions was giving Adrien a headache, but unfortunately for Nino, Adrien refused to budge.

"Nino come on, I told you I don't want to talk about it. When I'm ready to tell you I will. You can quit with the questions."

"Dude come on, gimme a break here. I know you aren't telling me something, you can't blame your best bud for wanting to know what's eating you, right?"

"Yeah Nino I get it, you are curious, but it's nothin-" his sentence was cut short when Marinette walked in, he felt his face flush, and noticed her's matched his own shade of red. Thier two best friends cocked eyebrows at each other, Adrien knew the cat was out of the bag now. He mentally prepared himself for the next onset of questions from Nino.

"That doesn't look like nothing," Nino said, slapping Adrien on the shoulder.

She walked up the aisle, stopping at the side of his desk, "H-hey Adrien."

"H-hey Marinette, you look nice today." he turned into a puddle of goo in front of her when she smiled at him, that smile made his heart melt.

"Thanks, Adrien, you look nice too," she said as she took her seat behind him, he glanced to his right and noticed Chloe was shooting daggers at Marinette. He knew Chloe, and the way she was glaring made him uneasy, he had a bad feeling she was going to pick a fight, a soon.

He heard whispers to his left and saw Alya leaning over whispering something in Nino's ear, he grunted, getting Nino's attention and shook his head at his best friend.

The morning classes went by fairly quickly, though not without the occasional interruption from Nino, still insisting on getting information out of him. He could hear Alya pressing Marinette just as hard as Nino was pressing him. Before he knew it the lunch bell was ringing and he managed to escape Nino.

He heard a yell behind him and saw Alya and Marinette, "Hey Adrien, why don't you eat lunch with us today?" Alya's brown curls bounced as she jogged toward him.

Smiling he shook his head, "Thanks, but no thanks Alya, I have leftovers at home that I'm pretty anxious to eat," he winked at Marinette and got into the car.

* * *

Marinette's mom had prepared a wonderful lunch, but the food was the last thing on Marinette's mind, she was more focused on her phone.

Marinette: Why didn't you join us for lunch?

She knew something was bothering Adrien, and it wasn't the salmon pie sitting in his mini fridge. She picked at her food while she waited for a reply, her stomach starting to churn.

Buzz...

Adrien: Sorry. I need to be alone for awhile, I need to think. So far today has been overwhelming, and I'm honestly not sure what's going on inside my head right now, or what I want. Sorry again. I'll see you in class.

Marinette's heart sank, what did he mean he needed to think? She could understand the overwhelming part, Nino and Alya were ruthless in their questioning, so she could see where their prying upset him. He seemed so withdrawn, she couldn't help but let it get to her. She didn't even bother texting back, she couldn't bring herself to.

"Girl? Are you gonna eat or not?" Alya poked her in the cheek with her fork.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"What's up with you?"

"Just not feeling the best right now. We should be heading back to class. Thanks for the lunch Mama, I'll see you after school." she headed out, Alya running after her.

* * *

Adrien sat at his desk, face pressed against its surface, he jumped when he felt someone slam their hands down on the table.

"Hey, Adrikins!" Chloe cooed, leaning in so their faces were inches apart.

He wasn't in the mood for her right now, "What do you want Chlo?"

"Oh, I don't know, just seems like there is something going on between you and Marinette," her voice was cold as ice and laced with anger.

Adrien rolled his eyes, "I'm not in the mood for this Chloe, and even if there is something, it's not your business or anyone else for that matter."

"But Adrikins! If something is going on between you and someone, it should be between you and me!" she was literally pouting at him right now, and it just infuriated him even more.

"Chloe... Go sit down." he snapped at her.

"Hmph!"

He watched her stomp to her seat, arms crossed, anger radiating off of her. He didn't care right now, he had so much on his mind, she was the last of his worries. He never got a chance to think about what he wanted to during the lunch break, the only thing on his mind was the rest of the salmon pie from the night before. He really had to make a mental note to let Nathalie know he wanted that as part of his usual meal schedule.

Movement at the door caught his eye, he looked over to see Marinette and Alya coming back from their break. Marinette didn't look like herself, her cheeks were flushed and she was holding her stomach. Immediate concern washed over Adrien and her turned in his seat, "Marinette? Are you OK?"

She swallowed hard and nodded, "Y-yeah Adrien, I'm fine. No worries."

He knew her well enough to know that what she said was a lie, it was written on her face. He was about to call her out when a rap on the blackboard called his focus to Miss Bustier as she called the class to attention.

The class wasn't even half way done when Adrien heard Marinette stand up behind him, "Miss Bustier, bathroom please?"

Miss Bustier nodded and pointed toward the door, "Please try to hurry."

He watched as Marinette ran out of the room, hand covering her mouth.

"Aww, poor baby looks like she's going to be sick. I hope she doesn't puke all over herself!" Chloe snickered.

"Wouldn't that be an improvement to her clothes?" Sabrina joined in, laughing with Chloe.

Adrien bit back his anger, he couldn't afford to make a scene, so instead she shot them a death glare which automatically shut them up. He couldn't help but worry about Marinette though, he knew he would end up getting her sick.

* * *

Marinette was head first in the toilet bowl when she heard a knock on the girl's bathroom door, she couldn't help but wonder who would be knocking on the bathroom door. She got up, wiped her mouth, and flushed the toilet. She felt dizzy and stumbled toward the door.

Another knock, "Marinette... Are you in there?"

She covered her mouth, eyes wide, "A-Adrien?"

"Are you ok? I was worried."

Taking a deep breath she pushed the bathroom door open, sending Adrien stumbling in the process. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz."

He laughed, and put his hand on her shoulder, "It's fine Marinette." He moved his hand to her forehead, "You are burning up. Looks like you caught whatever I had." Grabbing her by the hand he dragged her through the hallways and toward the school's entrance.

"Adrien... What are you doing?"

"School's over Marinette, it has been for the last thirty minutes. As for what I'm doing, I'm taking you with me. I realize you live next door to the school, but in your condition, I'm not letting you walk home. You took care of me when I was sick, now I'm going to take care of you."

"Wait, Adrien, my parents expect me to be home."

"Already talked to them, they figured it was best you stayed away until you were better, wouldn't' want your dad to get sick and not be able to bake. So I suggested you stay at my place until my dad comes home on Saturday, or until you feel better, whichever comes first."

She just stared at him, 'Dang this boy works fast,' but she couldn't bring herself to say no, she felt awful.

"So? How about it? I'll try to be a good nurse."

She couldn't help but laugh, "OK... OK I'll go, you are right I wouldn't want my dad getting sick." she followed him to the car, knowing this boy was going to be the death of her.

The car ride to Adrien's house served as nothing more than to intensify the nausea Marinette was already feeling. The only reason she didn't throw up right there in the car was because it belonged to Adrien and she didn't think she would live with herself knowing she threw up in his car.

When they arrived, he had to help her out of the car and up the stairs, her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to throw up again.

He helped her onto the bed, slid her sweater off and covered her with a blanket. "Adrien... You really don't have to do this you know? I'm fine really," it was a lie, and she knew he knew it, right now all she could do was accept the fact that she wouldn't be leaving his bed anytime soon.

* * *

He was quick to get a compress on her forehead and a trashcan by the bedside just in case. He crawled into the bed next to her and stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry that I'm not better at this, but I haven't had much experience.

She closed her eyes, "You are doing fine, don't worry so much OK? I do have a question."

"What's on your mind?" he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close to him.

"When you texted me earlier, you said you had to think, and you weren't sure what you wanted... did you get to think?" she nuzzled her face against the nape of his neck.

He kissed the top of her head, "Sort of. I'm sorry if I was rude about lunch, it's just these past few days have been a wild ride, and its a lot to process and figure out."

"D-do you not like me?" her breath came out scalding against his neck.

"No Marinette, it's not like that. I like you, a lot. It's just that I've never had a girlfriend before, and I really don't know what to do, or how to even go about all this. It's new to me, relationships, in general, are new to me. I just... I want to do this rig-" he was cut off by a small snore, looking down at the girl in his arms he found her asleep.

"Nothing like talking to yourself huh kid?"

"Plagg keep it down, why are you out anyway?"

"She's asleep, it's cool. I'm hungry."

Adrien shook his head, "You think with your stomach you know that right? I left some camembert in your cubby, go eat it."

"I still don't see my Normandie, also a little bit of advice, try telling the girl how you feel when she's actually conscious."

"Plagg! I'll tell her eventually, once I find a way to do it without sounding like an idiotic, socially awkward hermit."

"Well looks like she will never know how you feel then huh?" Plagg snickered.

"Seriously, I'm going to cancel the Normandie order if you don't shut it."

"Fine fine, just don't cancel it OK?"

Adrien rolled his eyes and pressed his face into Marinette's hair. He knew what he wanted, he just wasn't sure how to word it, and he wasn't sure if it was what she wanted. 'I guess all I can do is try, but right now I need to focus on taking care of her.'

Just when he was getting comfortable he heard a buzz, he learned toward the side of the bed and it got louder. Snaking his arm out from under Marinette he leaned off the side of the bed and dug his hand into her bag until he came out with her phone. For a second he held it, debating on whether he should check her it or not, she was asleep and what if it was urgent?

He took a deep breath and swiped, revealing a new message from Alya, he clicked it popping the message up.

Alya: Hey girl I'm at the Louvre, where the heck are you?

Marinette: Umm... Marinette is sick and sleeping, can I take a message for her?

Alya: Oh, is this Mr. or Mrs. Dupain?

Marinette: Um... Neither?

Alya: Who the heck is this then? Why do you have Marinette's phone?

Marinette: It's well... Adrien.

Alya: Adrien!? Why do you have my girls phone?

Marinette: Shes at my place, her parents thought it was a good idea if she wasn't anywhere near the bakery or her them right now, and she was afraid she would get her dad sick.

Alya: Awwww! You are playing nurse, that's so cute.

Marinette: Augh, yeah. She's sleeping right now and I need to change her compress, is there anything you need me to tell her when she wakes up?

Alya: LOL naw, I'll hit her up when she's feeling better, take good care of her for me.

He put her phone back in her back and shook his head, he couldn't believe he just had to explain the situation to Alya, more than likely it was going to make headlines now. He knew how she was, and the minute she stopped texting him, he knew she was going to be on the phone with Nino, giving him the big "scoop".

"Mama... No... I'll bake the ice cream..."

He suppressed a laugh and wrapped his arms around Marinette again, she did talk in her sleep, he had to stop himself from grabbing his phone and hitting record just to prove it to her. Right though he had to focus on making sure she got better as fast as possible and with just as much kindness she had shown him.


	8. Squeak?

Adrien's lips crushed against her already swollen ones, "I love you so much Marinette, I want you, I need you."

She squirmed underneath him, his lips were on her neck, nibbling, and sucking. His hand sunk between her legs and she arched her back in response. She was so hot, so ready, but he was going to slow.

"A-Adrien... Please..." she wasn't above begging for what she wanted, she moved her knee across the hardness between his legs.

His breath was hot against her ear, "No."

She let out a nervous chuckle, "W-what do you mean no?"

His face was eerily serious, "I mean no, as in I can't believe you fell for it."

"Fell for what?"

He laughed, "I don't love you."

It took a minute for her mind to comprehend what he had said, he was on top of her, pinning her arms against the bed, she tried to struggle but he was too strong for her. "Adrien!? What are you doing?"

"Poor little Marinette, always so quick to trust, so quick to let someone into her heart. You should have known that would be your downfall one day. The real question is what should I do with you now?" He shifted so one hand was holding both of hers above her head and the other was pressed against her throat.

"A-Adrien... Please... Don't do this." she squeaked, he was hurting her, what had gotten into him? This wasn't her Adrien, the kind, sweet boy she had fallen for. His eyes scared her, they were hard and bore into her, she needed to get away. She tried to move her legs, but he quickly got between them, making it harder for her to move.

He smirked, "Nice try Mari, but I'm not letting you out of here that easily." his hand tightened on her throat, his nails digging into her wrists.

It was getting harder to breathe, her breath was coming out in small gasps, "Please..." her eyes were filled with fear as he moved down and bit her lip so hard it drew blood. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she squirmed, desperate to get away from him.

"No no no, you aren't going anywhere. Just think Marinette, I'm doing you a favor, it's not like anyone would miss you anyway. You are nothing but a hopeless klutz, Alya doesn't care about you, all she cares about if what information she can get from you. Nino doesn't give a crap about you, and I sure as hell don't. Who does that leave huh?"

Her vision was starting to blur and there was an immense pressure on her chest. Suddenly he was shaking her, screaming at her, she tried to fight him, "Get off me! Please! Don't do this!"

"Marinette?!" he shook her more, his screaming was unbearable and made her head hurt.

"Please just go away! Stop!"

"Marinette!" he shook her harder, this time, she snapped her eyes open, only to find Adrien starting down at her, his face slackened, brow furrowed, his eyes wide.

She screamed shoving him and shot off the bed, cowering in the corner of the room. "Stay away from me."

He slowly crawled across the bed, "Marinette, you were dreaming. You are OK now, everything is OK."

"I don't believe you! You tried to hurt me, just stay back," she was shaking with fear.

His eyes softened as he continued to move closer, "Please, believe me, it was just a dream Marinette, I would never hurt you."

She studied his face, he looked sincere, but he looked just as sincere before he had wrapped his hand around her neck. "Go away!" she spat as she drew her knees up and buried her face in her arms. She heard the bed creak as he got off of it, he sat down beside her, instinctively she tried to get as far away as possible, pressing herself tightly against the wall.

He embraced her, holding her tightly to him and rubbing her back, "Marinette it's me, everything is OK, I promise it was just a dream," he held her head to his chest, continuing to mumble reassuring words.

'Was it really a dream? It seemed so real.' tears poured down her cheeks and she clutched his shirt with her fists. "I'm sorry."

He pulled her onto his lap, rocking her gently, kissing the top of her head and stroking her hair.

She tried to speak, to tell him what had happened, but every time she opened her mouth, she sobbed so loudly she was embarrassed. When she was finally spent, she didn't dare lift her head, she couldn't face him. He just held her, rubbing her back, she felt awful about all of this.

"I'm sorry," she told his shirt.

He gently lifted her chin, and brushed his lips against hers, "You know I would never do anything to hurt you Marinette, you mean so much to me. I know it was just your fever talking, so no need to apologize OK?"

"Adrien... I-I-I..."

"I know, you don't need to say it until you are ready. Now let's get you back in bed so you can rest alright?" He helped her up and into the bed, covered her up and curled up next to her.

"I don't think I can sleep," she admitted as she covered her face with the blanket.

"No one said you had to, you just need to rest. You can do that without sleeping, we can talk if you want to."

She nodded and looked him in the eyes, "About what?"

"Hmmm... You know, I honestly don't think I have been this happy. Even though we have been sick for the majority of the time, I would still rather spend my time sick with you, then not spend time with you at all. You really are something Marinette, for a long time I thought I would never feel true happiness again, but with you that feeling is constant."

* * *

He watched her face closely, it was a stew of negative emotions. Doubt, concern, fear, disbelief, worry, he wasn't sure what he could say or do to make everything better.

"I was sure the you in my dream was going to kill me. I was so scared, and I couldn't breathe. I know somewhere deep inside of me that I knew it wasn't really you, but I was too afraid to think about it. I should have know better, I shouldn't have shoved you. I'm sorry."

So he was trying to kill her in her dream, that explains why she was so frightened of him when he finally woke her up. He kisses her hair, "Its ok like I told you before it wasn't your fault, you had no clue what was going on, everything is OK. Like I told you, though, I will never hurt you, you don't have to worry about that."

She nodded and yawned, "Are you going to go to school tomorrow? I can go home if that's the case, I don't want to burden you."

"No, I wasn't planning on it. I'm just gonna say I have a shoot tomorrow and they won't ask twice. I would rather be here for you, I would worry way to much if I left you here alone."

Before he knew it she was asleep again, this time, her face was peaceful and she was snoring quietly. He saw Plagg fly over to him, "Plagg stay down."

"Is she ok?"

"Yeah she will be. Since when do you worry so much hmm?"

"Hey for the record cheese is not the only thing on my mind, I can be nice if I want to." the Kwami landed on his shoulder and poked him in the cheek with a tiny paw.

"Yeah Plagg I know I'm sorry. I'm sure she will be fine now, seems like her fever is down. Luckily I don't think she has it as bad as I did. I'm just glad my dad isn't here right now, he would freak if he found out she's been here so much."

"You know he will find out, what are you going to do when he does?"

"I don't know Plagg, I'll just have to do deal with that when we get there. I don't care what he says or does, I wouldn't have done anything differently. She was there for me, and I'm going to be there for her, I don't care if he can't understand that." he tightened his grasp on the girl in his arms.

"You are a brave kid, I can give you that much."

"Yeah well there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and right now I'm willing to sit on the border. There is something about this girl, she makes me feel like I can do anything."

"I thought you were in love with Ladybug?"

"So did I, but it's weird, so much of her reminds me of Ladybug. In all honestly, Marinette is much more real than Ladybug, I think I can have a tangible relationship with Marinette, there is no way that could ever happen with Ladybug." he sighed and closed his eyes.

Plagg flew off mumbling, "If only you knew kid, if only you knew."

* * *

Adrien swore he just closed his eyes for a few minutes, but when he opened them he found it was dark. He checked the time on his phone, 11:30pm. 'Oh man I slept, and it looks like she is still sleeping well.'

Marinette was no longer in his arm, but sprawled out on the bed, she was nothing but a mass of arms, legs, and tangled sheets. Shaking his head he got up and stretched, he wasn't really tired anymore, so he opted to park his butt on the couch and watch a movie on his phone.

As he made his way to the couch, he found Plagg perched on the coffee table nibbling on a piece of Camembert. "Still no word on my Normandie huh?"

Adrien couldn't help but laugh, as much as Plagg made him mad, he couldn't help but love the little devil, "Not yet, sometime this week though OK?"

Plagg let out an exasperated sigh and flopped back against the coffee table, "I'll die before it gets here! What are you doing up anyway?"

"I dunno, not really tired anymore. I figured I would just chill and watch a movie while she sleeps." he plopped down on the couch and leaned back, but a small squeak startled him. He reached behind him and pulled out Marinette's purse. Cocking his head he studied the small bag, maybe he had imagined the noise. Not taking any chances, he reached out and poked the bag.

Squeak.

No, he definitely wasn't imagining anything, Marinette's bag squeaked. Plagg was flying circles around him, "Adrien I'm hungry, I need cheese now!"

"Plagg there is something weird going on here!"

"Who cares, I really need some cheese right now, I'm feeling weak!"

Adrien ignored Plagg, and poked the bag again, he was met with another squeak, "Plagg, who cares about cheese. Marinette's bag is... squeaking."


	9. Silent treatment?

"Adrien I don't think you should be messing around with Marinette's bag!" Plagg was frantically flying around his head.

"Shhh Plagg keep your voice down!" he poked the bag again and received another squeak.

"I don't hear anything, Adrien seriously just leave it alone!"

"Plagg her bag just squeaked, you can't tell me you didn't hear it!" He poked it even harder, anticipating another squeak, instead the bag opened up and out flew a small red creature. Adrien jumped off the couch, eyes wide, "WHAT IS THAT?" he turned to Plagg, who was facepalming.

"Why do you keep poking me?" the creature had a sickeningly sweet high pitched voice.

"Oh my god it talks, Plagg what is that?"

"Seriously Sweet-tooth I thought we had an agreement to stay hidden?" Plagg still had his head in his little paws, as he scolded the creature.

"Yeah well you sit in the bag while someone pokes you and see how long you will put up with it. Let's keep it down though Marinette is still sleeping. I guess we should explain shouldn't we? As you might have already guessed Adrien, I am a Kwami."

Something clicked in the back of his mind, Kwami... Plagg is a kwami, Marinette has a Kwami, a Kwami that's red with black spots, just like a... "No freaking way."

"You figured it out didn't you? Congrats stud you are now in on the little secret," Plagg sounded irate, he was shooting daggers at the red kwami.

The red one rolled her eyes and floated over to Adrien, "I am Tikki, Kwami of the Ladybug earrings, but I can guess by your expression you already figured out what that means"

Adrien collapsed on the floor, eyes wide, head in his hands. Marinette is Ladybug, all this time the partner he loved so much sat right behind him in class and spent the night beside him in bed. He couldn't believe that his strong, brave Ladybug was the same girl who was sleeping in his bed right now 'Oh my God, I did it with Ladybug. Ladybug has been sleeping in my bed, Oh my God.'

"Earth to Adrien? Are you still with us kid?" Plagg smacked him on the top of his head with a tiny paw.

"Marinette is Ladybug. Plagg you knew, you watched, how come you didn't say anything? Did you enjoy my suffering?" Adrien was getting angry his fists balled up, knuckles turning white.

"Keep your voice down. Listen, we aren't supposed to interfere with your lives that way. It wasn't my place to out Marinette and Tikki if Marinette wanted you to know who she was she would have told you already. We both vowed to stay out of this part of your lives, and we would still be out of it if a certain red Kwami would have stayed hidden" Plagg actually sounded genuinely sincere.

"What am I supposed to do, who knows how she will act when she finds out I'm Chat."

"Adrien, Marinette is not to know you're Chat Noir." Tikki flew in front of his face.

"I can know who she is, but she can't know who I am? That's not fair, she's right there I could easily tell her!"

"Marinette is not ready to expose herself, she has too many insecurities and she doesn't trust enough. She is nowhere near ready to tell you who she is, or to find out who you are. She would freak out if she knew you were Chat Noir."

This was way too much for Adrien to take in right now, his head was spinning. 'Marinette is Ladybug, I should have realized this myself, as many differences there are between them, there are so many similarities.'

"Adrien listen to me, Marinette will tell you sooner or later until then you just have to go on like nothing has changed. I promise things will work out in the end, for now just continue on like you have been. Don't hint that you know what's going on, just treat Marinette like Marinette and Ladybug like Ladybug." Tikki's eyes were filled with concern, Marinette's Kwami was so much different than Plagg, but it made sense, Plagg and Tikki were polar opposites. Creation and destruction.

"OK Tikki, I get it, I need to be alone for a while ok? Plagg keep an eye on Marinette, from afar, and let me know if she wakes up," he made his way to the bathroom, once inside he slumped to the floor.

"What am I going to do? I wanted to know so badly who Ladybug was, and now that I know it's overwhelming," he knew he saw the similarities between then, but he never suspected them to actually be the same person. His head hurt and his body felt heavy, he never thought he would have this sort of reaction to finding out. He thought back to all the times he professed his love to Ladybug, all the times he made a fool of himself, all the times she kindly rejected him, was it because she was in love with him as Adrien?

He thought of all the times Marinette tried to speak to him, only to stutter and stumble over her words. All the times she called him 'awesome' or 'cool' was he really that blind he didn't see how she felt? That was the problem, though, she wasn't in love with Chat Noir, she was in love with Adrien and only Adrien. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't always be Adrien, Ladybug needed her trusty partner, even if she didn't love him per say, he knew there was a mutual respect between them.

All he knew is he had sex with Marinette, which means he did it with Ladybug, and right now he knew his brain couldn't handle sleeping in the same bed with her, he didn't even think he could stand seeing her face. He had no clue how he was going to keep this a secret, but Tikki told him Marinette was not emotionally ready to reveal herself, and he had to respect that.

He opened the door, checking to make sure she was still sleeping. Hearing her quiet snores, he went and laid on the couch. His heart hurt, but he knew what needed to be done, he needed time alone, needed time to think, and he couldn't do that with Marinette around.

* * *

She yawned and stretched, her eyes slowly adjusting to the brightness in the room. Sitting up she checked the bed, she was alone, "Adrien?"

"You're awake, good, how are you feeling?" his voice came from across the room.

"Um... Better, much better," she wasn't sure what was going on, but she didn't like it.

"Good, I put your stuff on the table next to the bed. I think it would be best if you went home," his voice was cold, it sent shivers down her back.

"Is something wrong Adrien?"

"I need to think, and I can't do that with you here. You're too much of a distraction, so please, go home. I'm going to be heading to school so anyway."

"Oh... Um... OK... I'll see you at school I guess," she quickly gathered her things, slipped her shoes on and practically ran down the stairs.

What was up with him? She had never seen him so cold and distant before, and what did he need to think about?

She felt a part of heart shatter, he had rejected her.

What did she do? What did she say wrong? A thousand questions whirled through her head, and before she knew it she was sprinting home, hot tears spilling down her cheeks.

She snuck up the back stairs, luckily avoiding her parents who were preoccupied with the bakery. Plopping down on her lounge she grabbed her phone and texted Alya.

Marinette: I'm heading to school in a few.

Her friend was quick to reply.

Alya: You are? Are you OK now?

Marinette: Physically yes. Emotionally, I have no clue.

Alya: Tell me what happened at school, I'll be here in 5.

* * *

Alya was already waiting on the steps when Marinette arrived at school, "Whats going on?"

Marinette took a deep breath and shook her head, "I don't know. When I woke up, Adrien was different, he was cold. He told me to go home because he needed to think, and he couldn't do it with me there because I was a distraction. I don't know what I did wrong Alya."

"Awww girl boys are jerks," Alya put her arm around her and smiled, "He's prob just PMSing or something."

Marinette shook her head and frowned, "No, I don't think so. He seemed to different, something had to have happened."

"Well whatever happened, just let him get over it. Give him so space and see if he comes back to you. If all else fails give him the silent treatment, boys hate that!"

Marinette nodded and made her way to class, Alya at her hip. She stopped in the door of the classroom, Adrien was already there, staring at his desk.

Alya leaned close to her, "Say hi to him and if he doesn't reply commence silent treatment."

She made her way to her desk, stopping at the side of his, she waved at him "Hi Adri-" she stopped when he turned to face Nino. Her hand fell to her side and she took her seat.

Alya shook her head and placed her hand on Marinette's shoulder, "Silent treatment girl, I know it will be hard for you, but let him come back to you alright?"

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will, just trust me OK?" Alya grinned and shot her a thumbs up.

Marinette couldn't help but smile, Alya always knew what to do when it came to boys, all she could do now was trust Alya.

* * *

Across town, the annual circus was setting up its tent, bursts of fire could be seen from the outside. As the firebreather finished his practice the ringmaster made her way over to him.

"Nice job Seraphin, but I have a bit of bad news."

"What's going on?"

"Well, I hate to say it but we need to cut your performance from the show, people just aren't coming like they used to, and we don't have the budget to have every act in the show," she placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."

He shook her off, "My performance was spot on, are you seriously going to do this to me?"

"Seraphin, it's not my choice, I'm sorry."

He stomped off, slumping onto a nearby bench, "This isn't fair, the firebreather is one of the best acts in the circus."

* * *

"What is this? Rejection? Anger? The perfect fuel for my Akuma," the booming voice laugh as a small white butterfly landed on his hand, "Fly away my little Akuma and evilize him!"

* * *

"This just isn't fair, I should be in that show!" Seraphin didn't notice a small black shape fly into his torch until it was too late.

"Hello Inferno, I am Hawk Moth, I will help you set fire to the ones who have wronged you, but in return, all you have to do is get something from Ladybug and Chat Noir for me."

"Yes, Hawk Moth!"

* * *

Adrien felt bad ignoring Marinette's greeting but he couldn't talk to her right now. Instead, he found himself face to face with Nino who pulled him into a headlock.

"Bro, what the heck is wrong with you? I seriously did not just see you blow off Mari? Tell me I didn't just see that."

"I did."

"Dude, what is wrong with you? You are never like this, did you pops do something?"

"No it has nothing to do with my dad, I just have a lot of thinking to do and she distracts me."

"Adrien, seriously, you better watch yourself or you will end up getting the silent treatment or something. Especially if she has Alya coaching her through this, trust me that girl is the queen of silent treatment."

Adrien scoffed, "Nino right now I don't care what she does, I need time to figure things out and if she wants to give me the silent treatment then so be it."

Nino released him and sighed, "Bro that's cold."

Maybe it was but what else could he do? If he talked to Marinette now he knew he would slip and bring up her alter ego, and he couldn't do that to her, the only thing he could do is stay away until he knew he could keep his mouth shut about it.

Out of nowhere a blast of fire shot through the windows, shattering the glass.

Mr. Damocles rushed into the room "A villain has been spotted nearby, I need all you to evacuated and go straight home."

Adrien was the first out the door, sprinting into the boys bathroom, "Plagg we need to transform now!"

Plagg squinted his green eyes at him, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes, right now I just have to forget about last night, Ladybug is going to need my help. Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug was already on scene, watching from a nearby rooftop when she heard her leather clad partner behind her.

"What are we dealing with?" he was oddly serious, no puns or playful antics.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, but it looks like he can control bursts of fire," another blast demolished a building across the street.

Chat was perched next to her, he sighed and stood, "So my lady, is it hot up here or is it just you?"

She groaned and facepalmed, how that was the normal Chat she knew, "Chat right now there is no time for your witty remarks, let's capture their Akuma and be done here."

She shot her yo-yo, lassoing it around a pillar, diving off the building she swung toward the villain and slammed hard into them, sending them flying.

Chat landed next to her, and placed a hand on his hip, "Looks like the situation is heating up," he grinned a raised an eyebrow at her.

She groaned and facepalmed, "Chat..."

"What can I say Ladybug, heaters gonna heat. Anyway, where do you think the Akuma is?"

Before she could answer the villain stood, "How dare you interfere, feel my fiery rage!" he shot a burst of fire directly toward Ladybug. She braced for impact, but it never came, her eyes went wide when she saw Chat Noir standing in front of her, small flames coming off his body.

"Chat!"

"Wow, that was... hot," he collapsed in her arms, his suit singed.

"Muahahaha! I am the mighty Inferno, give me your miraculous' or you will be next!"

"Your fiery reign of terror ends now Inferno. Lucky Charm!" She tossed her compact into the air, in a flash of red light, a fire extinguished had taken its place.

He shot another blast toward her, she quickly avoided it, hopping from car to car. As he was about to shoot another, she pulled the lever on the fire extinguisher, coating him in foam.

"Wha... What is this?!"

She flung her yo-yo wrapping it around his ankle, using it send him flying, in the process he lost his grip on the touch, she sprang forward closing her hand around it.

"No!" Inferno screamed.

"Its time for you to cool down Inferno," She slammed the touch down on her knee breaking it in two and tossed it on the ground, "Get out of here you nasty bug!"

She slid her finger across her compact, "No more evil doing for you little Akuma. Time to devilize!" She swung her yo-yo catching the Akuma inside, "Gotcha! Bye bye, little butterfly."

She tossed the extinguisher into the air, "Miraculous Ladybug!" In a flash of red, the city was restored, and the villain returned to his civilian form.

Chat was still on the ground, "Chat? Chat can you hear me?"

He groaned, his eye fluttering open, "Ladybug?" she was holding him in her arms, "Wow that Akuma sure had a hot temper huh?" She dropped him onto the ground with a thud.

"Glad to see you are back to your normal self Chat, but I need to bug out!" she shot her yo-yo to a nearby building, just as she was going to propel over, a hand grabbed her arm.

"Wait Ladybug, can we patrol tonight? I need to talk to you about something?"

She smiled and nodded, "Sure Chat, I'll see you tonight. Bug out!"

* * *

Chat paced the roof of the hotel, impatiently waiting for her to call. His finger was on the button, and he was ready when the beep came, her picture popping up on the screen of his staff, "Hey."

"Hey, where are we starting tonight?"

"The roof of the Grand Paris Hotel, I'm already here."

"OK, I'll be there in 5."

His heart sank when she hung up, what was he going to say? He wanted advice that's it, but advice on what? His thoughts were cut short when he heard a zip and feet padding across the rooftop.

"Ok Chat, I'm ready when you ar-" she stopped when he turned to face her, "What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you, I need some advice."

"Aright, I'm all ears."

"OK, I have a friend..."

"Do I know this friend?"

"Probably not since we have no clue if we even know each other when we are in civilian clothes."

"OK good point, continue Chat."

"Well, I recently found out she is keeping a huge secret from me. I mean we are pretty good friends, but she never told me. Right now I'm not sure what to think, I feel like she lied to me by not telling me herself."

"Do you like this girl?" Ladybug cocked an eye at him.

"No! I only have eyes for you, My Lady, she's just a really good friend. Right now I'm not sure how I feel about everything. I honestly have no clue what I'm asking you or anything, but I guess what would you do in this situation?" Chat sat down on a ledge and sighed, this wasn't going as planned.

Ladybug sat next to him, "Hmmm... What would I do? I guess I would remember that my friend is my friend no matter what they hid from me, and they must have had a good reason to hide it. I wouldn't hold it against them, or be angry, I would just go on like normal. Do they know you know their secret?"

Chat shook his head, "No."

"OK, then I would just keep being their friend, and not change how I treat them. No matter what happens, my friends will always be my friends."

"You are right Ladybug, thank you. I knew I could come to you. I appreciate everything you do, you are pawsitively purrfect!" He nuzzled against her and grinned.

"Um, yeah OK. Should we start patrol?

"Yeah!" he said with a nod, and dove headfirst off the building, Ladybug at his heels.

* * *

School the next day was almost completely normal except for the fact Adrien was still ignoring her. By now she had given up even trying to get his attention and opted to be nothing but a quiet bundle of nerves behind him. She knew Alya tried her best to get Nino to crack Adrien, but it was all in vain, and much to Marinette's chagrin, she had to wait out whatever funk Adrien was in. Sure she may or may not have cried to Alya on the phone the night before, but as far as they were concerned that never happened.

It wasn't until the end of the day, that things started to turn around. She was a couple feet from her locked when she noticed something was taped to it. Upon closer expectation it was actually a note from Adrien.

Marinette,

Please come over tonight, we need to talk.

I'm out front waiting for you, I understand if you decline.

Yours,

Adrien.

Her heart was in her throat, and she was having a hard time breathing.

'Calm down Marinette, it cant be anything bad if he wants you to come over. Just breathe and calm down, it's not like you haven't been to his place before.'

She quickly gathered her things and headed toward the entrance, she could see Adrien leaning against a railing, arms crossed. Swallowing hard, she walked up to him, but she couldn't find her voice, so she settled for a pathetic wave.

"Let's go," his voice, his expression, everything about his demeanor was cold, maybe she was making a huge mistake going to his place, but she couldn't think about that right now, this had to be important.

The walk there was filled with silent tension, and before she knew it they were climbing the stairs to his room. Once inside she set her bags down and stook awkwardly in the middle of the large room, arms planted firmly at her sides.

He took his top off and tossed it onto the bed then turned to face her. They stood there, for what seemed like centuries, it was like they were meeting each other again after being apart for years. She studied his face. Perfectly styled blond hair, lush lashes, chiseled jaw, and his eyes, bright green with a wildness he only let her see. Normally he would have struck her as gorgeous, but right now, as he stood in front of her, fists clenched, shoulders shaking slighting, the only word she could use to describe him was sad.

He closed the gap between them, and gripped her shoulders, his face a cocktail of emotions. He embraced her with such a sudden harshness it left her breathless. His face was crushed against the nape of her neck, his arms were a vice grip around her waist as if she might slip away from him at any moment. She didn't know what to do, so she just stood there letting him embrace her, totally at a loss.

When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, and the words came out slowly, "I'm so sorry."

She was surprised at his words, it wasn't what she expected to hear at all. Gently she returned his embraced, and placed one hand on his head, comfortingly stroking his hair.

He pulled back slightly, turning his face away from hers, "I'm so sorry."

She pulled back a little more, placing a hand on his cheek and turned his face so she could look into his eyes, "Adrien, it's OK."

"No it's not!" he pushed away from her, turning his back to her, "You have no clue why I'm even apologizing."

She took a step toward him, "Then explain it to me."

He scoffed, "What am I apologizing? Well, I don't know, maybe because I have been a giant asshole for the past two days."

"I cant disagree with that," she mumbled.

"See? I've been nothing but a jerk, but I did a lot of thinking," he turned and faced her again, "Marinette, I don't care who or what you are, I don't care about anything that happened prior to this moment, all I know is I want you, I want all of you."

His smile made her breath hitch, and those green eyes held her captive, "So, what exactly are you trying to say, Adrien?"

"I want you, I love you Marinette. I'm sorry it took this long for me to sort my feelings out, sadly I've been very conflicted since our first night together, but I know now how I feel." he grabbed both of her hands and held them in his.

That was the moment when Marinette's brain malfunctioned, "I... U-umm... I w-well..."

"Marinette I understand if you don't feel the same way, I just needed you to know how I feel."

"N-no God no, that's not it, its j-just you are so amazing and awesome and I'm just s-some normal person and there is nothing special about me. I never thought this would be happening, especially with you, with me, this is amazing, and I'm rambling... I'm sorry."

He doubled over in helpless laughter, "This is why I love you, I cant help but laugh at your antics."

She crossed her arms and stuck up her nose in mock displeasure, "Ha ha, so funny. Keep it up and I won't tell you how I feel."

"Come on Marinette don't leave me in the dark," he smiled trying to compose himself.

A smirk crossed her face, "Close you eyes and Ill show you."

He did as he was told standing still with his eyes tightly closed, she moved forward placing her hands on his cheeks and gently touched their lips. It was a simple peck, lasting just seconds, but before he had a chance to open his eyes, she shoved him onto the bed and straddled his lap.

"Marinette?"

She leaned down and kissed him deeply, her fingers combing through his hair, he deepened the kiss their tongues colliding, but she had to tell him. She broke away from his mouth and pressed her forehead against his, "Adrien, I love you too. I always have and always will. You mean more to me than anything, I'm so happy right now."

He grinned, capturing her mouth with his again, she let it happen, reveling in his taste and the way he made her feel at home. She knew that she started something that there was no stopping, and at this point she didn't care.

It was gentle this time, full of love and compassion, with every kiss she knew his words were sincere, and she was his. She knew she would be spending the night with him again, and didn't even bother to call her mom or even think up an excuse as to where she was, all she cared about was the boy in her arms. Sure tomorrow would be hell, Alya and Nino would be questioning to no end, but she didn't care, she would worry about that tomorrow, Paris could burn down around them and she wouldn't care, tonight was about Adrien and only Adrien.


End file.
